1948 Booker T. Washington Half Dollar

Coin Details

Auction Record

$36,000 MS67+ 01-15-2023 Heritage Auctions

Description

The 1948 Booker T. Washington Half Dollar is a commemorative half dollar struck at the Philadelphia Mint. With a mintage of just 8,005, this is a scarce issue sought by specialists. Authorized in 1946 to honor Booker T. The obverse features a bust of Booker T. Washington facing right, the renowned African American educator and founder of the Tuskegee Institute, while the reverse displays the Hall of Fame for Great Americans at New York University, with a log cabin below representing Washington's birth as a slave in 1856. Designed by Isaac Scott Hathaway. Mintages began declining as collector interest waned. Struck in 90% silver, 10% copper, weighing 12.5 grams, 30.6 mm in diameter, with a reeded edge. Cataloged as PCGS #9412. The Booker T. Washington Half Dollar is historically significant as the first U.S. coin to honor an African American. It was designed by Isaac Scott Hathaway, who was himself African American — a first for a U.S. Mint coin designer.